Saturday May 1, 2010
The weather is still ok so we needed to pack as much as we could in a day before it turns not so nice. We wanted to get to the Villa Carlotta as fast a possible so we purchased a bus ticket and then found out it wasn't coming for 30 minutes so we set out on foot with the traffic right beside us. I don't think Bob has ever walked so fast to get out of the street. The Villa Carlotta is located in a town called Tremezzo. Words cannot describe the gardens, all in spring full boom. The Villa dates back to the 17th century and has been mainted to perfection. For 8 euro a piece we spent several hours there admiring all the blooming azalea, pansies, and rhodendrums just to mention a few. We had lunch a a very good pizzera right next to the Villa. In this particular area of Italy we have discovered some of the places serve frozen pizza, but this place served real pizza, with sausage, cheese and ham it was the best.

The fast boat takes you to Como at the end of the lake for 9 euro a piece and gets there in about 40 minutes so we boarded the hydrofoil for the fast ride to Como. Como is known for their silk factories so we went in search of scarves and some outlet center that was suppose to have good bargains. Bob navigated us to every place that was recommened and a few purchases were made for the first time on the trip. We had a nice stop for beers and listening to a band while waiting for the fast boat to take us back to the hotel. The fast boat on the return trip was a catamaran not a hydrofoil. The picture directly above is the house of non other than George Clooney we were going by pretty fast but I didn't see him waving at me. A quiet dinner and the rain has started and they are expecting it to continue for the next week.

Friday April 30, 2010

The good news from the night before the man who had a heart attack underwent surgery and was do ok and should be going home in 5 days.

The Greenway Trail has turned out to be a great means of walking for us to explore the little towns and get transportation to other places across the lake. The trail goes notheast and southwest from our hotel and takes you up steep walkways to avoid the near single lane streets. The picture at the top is a villa where one of the James Bond 007 movies was filmed. After walking up and down the hills for about 3 miles we decided to hop on the ferry boat and spend the rest of the day visiting and enjoying the sites of Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio. For just 11.00 euro a piece we could ride the ferry all day and stop at the towns, do some shopping (buying nothing) eating and drinking. The towns were all very unique some more full of stuff than others and some far more expensive than the next one. We had to double back a few times as our stop at Lenno is not a direct ride so we went back to Bellagio at least 3 times.

It seems this entire trip we have some how been at a place where there is a wedding. At our hotel a couple from Japan and 20 guests celebrated their wedding at the Villa del Balbianello. The Villa is just beautiful perched on a peninsula all by itself surrounded by lush green gardens.

We walked down the stone walkway to a small ristoranti and had a light dinner before calling it a day.

Thursday April 29, 2010

We have been on public transportation for the last month and Bob was just itching to get in a boat that he was in control of. In the area we are staying there is a great hiking path close to the lake and while wandering around we found a boat rental place. The man who owned it whose name was William was a world class water skier for Italy in the 70's & 80's. He is 57 and married to a 32 year old women with 2 little babies. After paying him several euro we were ready to take on the lake. The day started out sunny and warm by the time we were loooking at Richard Bronsons' home it was cold and windy. The above picture is the town of Bellagio. Inspite of all the adverse weather Bob was in boating heaven. We toured only a fraction of the lake starting in Lenno and going beyond Bellagio. The little towns are so incredible from the small motor boat. William offered us a quick ride home in his 1991 Ski Nautique he had won while competeing. As Murphy's law has it by the time we were back at the hotel the sun was out and it was very pleasant sitting around the pool.

The stone walkway we live on is just incredible so we strolled down to a cafe on the water had a nice dinner then headed back to the hotel for some cognac. While in the lobby 911 was called for a man who was in cardiac arrest, they took him away at high speeds to Como where there is a good heart hospital we are told. Another great day in Italy and only a few left.

Wednesday April 28, 2010
Our stay in Venice was so much fun touring the canals and seeing all the sites. The hotel we stayed at was listed as a **** hotel but it was far from that. When we entered the building for the room it was 4 floors of apartments then we were on the 5th floor that overlooked the canals. The location was the best, the room was clean but taking the elevator that was one step away from not working was not real appealing. That said we only spent a short time there so they get a *** for trying and **** for the location.
The drive to Lake Como was great no turns just get on the freeway and drive. We have stopped at all the truck stops for lunch and it fills up the stomach. The other day I manged to not communicate with the cook and ended up with 2 sausages, and spinach for the price of 15 euro, and it was not so good.
http://www.albergolenno.com
About 4 days ago after going through all the books and looking on the internet I emailed
Sandra and she recommeded this hotel. We have been traveling and seeing everything there is to see for the past 4 weeks and this place is out of this world. The hotel is right on the lake and the view from our corner room is like a postcard. The white capped mountains in the back and the lake directly below them. It truly does not get any better. There is also a wellness center right down the street, I think some of the days activites may include a massage.

Tuesday April 28, 2010
Because Richard had given us some great suggestions on what to see in 1 day in Venice we were as prepared as we could be. The water bus will provide transportation any where we would like to go as part of the pass we purchased. Our first stop was the island of Murano, this is where they make expensive hand blown glass and the prices range from $500 to as much as you would like to spend. We spent some time observing some men blowing glass, they were creating vases and glasses, when they were done with the demonstrations they invited us to the showroom where the pieces are beautifully displayed and priced out of my range.
Our next stop is the island of Burano which is unique in the fact that the houses were all painted bright brillant colors. The town is known for handmade lace that is made into table cloths and any other lace fabric you can imagine. While touring one of the shops we observed a couple getting ready to buy a table cloth for $3000.00 dollars I can't imagine paying that much less using the cloth on the table, but they were going to purchase it. We decided to forgo Lido as we wanted to tour the Palazzo Ducale, which was the Doge's residence palace of Justice in the 1300's - 1800's. Our last event for the day was to tour the Grand Canal where we would view 2 historic bridges, not my idea but Bob wanted to see them. We chose a restaraunt Richard and Susan had recommended and they were also there so once again after dinner we went to the square for the fabulous concert, a short walk home, and we would get ready for the next part of our trip Lake Como..

Monday April 27, 2010

After 4 nights at the Villa Agnese it is time to move on to our next destination which is Venice. The villa was brand new and only has been opened 1 month. We were able to walk to the bus stop and then take the train but that is not convenient for everyone, so we suggested they have a shuttle bus to transport people back and forth. When we checked out the owner gifted us with some type of grappa that is made up the way from the Villa. The provence of Genova is a great area and if we were to ever get a chance to return we would stay in S. Margeherti(spelling?) which is in a better location and also a great town.
The drive to Venice took about 4 hours and we had to only navigate to a parking ramp where the car would stay for the next 2 nights. We made it to the parking ramp with very few problemss then proceeded to buy a transportaion ticket for 26 euro a piece so we could maneuver our way through the streets of Venice for the next 48 hours. With our map in hand dragging our 2 small bags (thank goodness they are small) we took the water bus to a stopping point and then snaked our way through the streets and over bridges to the Hotel Palazzo Priulj. The located is right on 2 canals and the sounds of the gondola singers could be heard from our 5th floor room.

After checking in it was time to explore this city built on water. I have never seen anything like it , standing in San Marco Plaza was incredible, chamber music playing with as many as 5 violins, people everywhere and a very festive mood. We dined at a restaurant right by the hotel and met Richard and Susan from Winchester, England at the table adjacent to us. They shared some points of interest with us reagarding the area although they liked the art far more than the ob. Richard and Susan invited us to walk through San Marco for the evening and take in the great small orchestras that were playing. There were times when you felt like you were at a concert with the sounds of Straus waltzes and Bolero jus to mention a few. A short walk home and a late night we would start perparing our plans for exploring the outlying island of Venice.

Sunday April 25

Sunday is a day of rest and that we did. Bob has been having trouble with his leg/knee, as you recall he laid on the floor of St.Petes in Rome trying to strech out his leg, so we decided not to walk as many miles on Sunday. Our travels took us up to Camogli a lovely little fishing village outside of S.Margaherti(spelling?). The area called the province of Genova is a beautiful area with good hiking and lovely little villages all over. If we would have had the correct gear we could have hiked back to Portofino which many people say is a very nice hike once again high above the sea.

For just 2 euro we rented a lounge chair on the black sand/rocky beach and enjoyed people watching for an hour. After a nice lunch we boarded a boat to take us to Portifino where we would start our trip back to the villa. We have mastered the bus, and train transportation and walking back to our villa, soon we will be in a new city and have to figure things out all over again.

We decide not to try and find a place to eat unless we could walk to it so we ate at a neighborhood place we have passed for the last 4 days and it turned out to be very fine. The table of 12 next us were celebrating a birthday and once again there was not a word of English spoken.

Saturday April 24

The Cinque Terra is a National park that everyone says is a must see and experience. Our local train station sell a pass for as many days as you want this covers, hiking the trails, use of the bus in the little towns and train transportation within the towns and to Levanto . We started our hike from Monterossa to Vernazza the trails were high up and very muddy from the previous days rain. We made the decision to take the train to the last village named Riomaggiore and hike back up to the other villages. After a very nice lunch high above the sea we started our small hike back to Corniglia. The thing that makes this area so unique is the ability to walk from place to place with beautiful views of the sea below. I can only imagine what it must have been like before it became popular with thousands of tourists from all over the world flocking to tiny trails daily, the congestion is kind of like being on a crowded freeway and not being able to move. Don't get me wrong it is a beautiful area and is on the lists of seeing and doing. For this being their income, the people who work in the tourist information stops in all of the villages were rude and unfreindly.

After a long day of hiking we headed back on the train forgetting that the pass only gets you to Levanto and then you need to buy another train ticket. The ticket man came by and we showed him the pass and he said that wouldn't work. He charged us 6 euro a piece for train ticket which is steep but we didn't want to wait for another train. After the ticket man left Bob realized we did have train tickets but they were not stamped and if we had shown him those we could have been fined 50 euro a piece. Stamping the tickets is a must before getting on the train. Thanks again Sandra for the great advice.

After a long day we tryed to make reservations at any restaraunt but there was a huge celebration and we couldn't get in any place. The owner of the hotel dropped us in town and told us of a place that we could eat but there was no room. A taxi home and no dinner not a good way to end the day.